People with disabilities suffer some of the worst violations of their human rights, but a groundbreaking United Nations treaty that entered into force last year provides a road map to improve this situation. The treaty is the culmination of years of global efforts to ensure that the rights of the world’s estimated 650 million persons with disabilities are guaranteed and protected.

More than halfway to the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), major advances in the fight against poverty and hunger have begun to slow or even reverse as a result of the global economic and food crises, says the MDG Report 2009, launched by the Secretary-General in Geneva on 6 July. "The current economic environment makes achieving the goals even more difficult," Mr. Ban told the high-level segment of ECOSOC.

At the end of the four-day High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council, delegates adopted by consensus a ministerial declaration on 9 July, calling for global cooperation to tackle public health challenges. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, called the Declaration a comprehensive text, noting that a follow-up meeting will be held next year to gauge how much of an impact this document has in changing public health systems.

The report was launched in Geneva by the Secretary-General on 6 July and presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs. Less than six years away from the 2015 deadline to achieve the MDGs, the report warns that despite many successes, overall progress has been too slow for most of the targets to be met by 2015. Major advances in the fight against poverty and hunger have begun to slow or even reverse as a result of the global economic and food crises.

The international negotiations on climate change actions, including mechanisms for the efficient and equitable transfer of technologies for mitigation and adaptation, are currently being deliberated under the auspices of the UNFCCC Bali Road Map and are at a crucial stage. The discussions stress the need for countries to move effectively from emission and impact assessments to project and programme implementation.

Comings

Ms. Kaiko Osaki Tomita, was appointed Chief, Demographic and Social Statistics Branch, Statistics Division of DESA on 16 June. Her long career at the UN started in 1988 at the Fertility and Family Studies Section of the Population Division. She moved later to the Mortality and Migration Section of the Division and served as Chief of the Migration Section. Prior to her new appointment, she was Chief of the Social Policy and Population Section, Social Development Division of UNESCAP.

The day celebrated on 12 August on the theme “Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future” encourages us to work with and for youth to achieve truly sustainable development. It encourages all of us, including young people, to look at how our economic, environmental and social attitudes and behaviours work together to ensure that the generations of today and tomorrow can live happy, healthy and comfortable lives.